Summer's OVER
by stevieLUVSAlex
Summary: Castle's back from the Hamptons and Becketts cold shoulder causes Lanie to intercept... can she manage to bring the two together at last... one-shot. Please R


_Forgive me, I haven't seen the episode because I live in Oz and am only playing on what I have read in other FF. So if I got something wrong… sorry, you'll know what's made up and what's not… I hope. _

_Happy reading!_

**S**ummer was over at long last.

In the past 90 days, Richard castle had been situated in the Hamptons, miles away from his favorite detective. If it hadn't been for the hours he'd spent typing away at his laptop for his new book, he might have very well bordered on insane.

Days in bed with his Ex-wife, Gina, had done nothing to dim his bad mood. Nothing had made the ache in the centre of his chest weaken. For 90 days he had imagined that his ex-wife was someone else… not just anyone, but a woman who was miles away, held up at the police station in a job that she couldn't stand abandoning… not even for a little time with her _childish shadow_.

Her face, had been in the front of his mind for three entire months, he could have sworn he'd lost a few pounds from wasting all the food Gina had prepared for him, day after day. Something was defiantly wrong with him. He couldn't stop thinking about her delicate features, her soft eyes and that angel smile. He groaned heartily at himself, almost forgetting that Gina was in the car beside him. God, he couldn't wait to walk through the precinct and see her face light up, to see that angelic smile that caused his heart to leap into his throat. Yes, he thought, he'd even missed his inability to control his own body when she was within close proximity.

Gina sighed heavily, looking out the window as Castle headed towards home. She had been fun… once, he realized. But as this vacation had dragged on, he found himself asking what he ever saw in her? What was in that caused him to ask for her hand in marriage? No, he had forgotten what had brought the two together years before.

Castle had made many mistakes in his life, not that he would ever vocalize them, but he was sure that this trip to the Hamptons was right up there, at the top of the list. But he was determined to pull himself from this vulgar situation and do what he did best – go for what he wanted, and God knew he wanted Kate Beckett. Detective. Partner in crime. His muse. The hero of his new book series.

He finally pulled the car over to the curb, and turned to Gina.

"This is where I'm supposed to thank you for the vacation," Castle guessed.

Gina shrugged. "Alright! We had fun, didn't we?"

Castle avoided her gaze. "Yeah," he muttered. "It was good."

Gina made her move and swiftly climbed out of the car. He watched guiltily as she waltzed up to her apartment building, he knew he should have played the gentleman card, he knew he should have more or less taken her hand and made sure she made it to the door safely. But his mind was preoccupied with future events. He glanced at his watch, before he pulled the car back into traffic. It was still early enough for Kate to be working at the precinct, he reasoned, it was likely that she would be sitting at her desk shuffling through paperwork. Kate lived alone in an apartment on the third floor… was it the third floor? He frowned, he couldn't remember.

The nerves began to set in as he arrived at the station. He struggled to unclick his seatbelt, and cursed frustrated when he couldn't manage it. He took a breath, and tried again, determined to see her, to wait another 24 hours was too long, and he knew he wouldn't be able to make it. He considered a text message, something simple, HEY KATE, I'M HOME! But he decided against it, face to face, he thought, was definably better.

He swung his jacket over his shoulder, in an attempt to look cool and collected, but his inner organs which were wrecking havoc with his body, said something to the contrary. As he paraded into the familiar building, he felt a strange atmosphere… was it always like this? He wondered.

His eyes peered around every corner, in anticipation of seeing Kate. It had been three months since he'd seen her. 92 days of loneliness to be exact, and to Castle it felt like an eternity. Yeahp, he concluded, he had bordered insane while away in the Hamptons.

As he stepped into the squad room, he saw her. He stopped in the doorway, watching her for a moment, as his heart quickened at the sight of her. She was laughing heartily with Esposito, and Castle had never seen a more beautiful or magical individual. Her jade eyes sparkled as she looked up at her colleague. Damn, Castle muttered inwardly, how long had he been gone?

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the room and announced his arrival.

"We'll hold on to your hats, boys and girls… daddy's home!" he grinned cheekily.

Kate seemed to freeze as she looked up and recognized the face that came with the boisterous voice. For a moment her eyes met his and she seemed to say something, but he didn't catch her words, and quickly she looked away. He felt himself fall, not in the physical sense so much as mentally. He had a certain idea, about how this conversation was supposed to go. He would waltz into the precinct and she'd look at him, smile, and come forward, confessing how much she missed him, in that sweet little Kate Beckett way she did… maybe threaten him with a firearm first, and he'd hush her, just before he pressed his lips to hers.

No, this wasn't like that at all.

He walked towards her, almost deflated, and sat down in the chair beside her, as he had always done. She seemed to stiffen.

"Hello Castle," her voice was almost cool.

"Hi," he forced the disappointment from his tone and added an air of confidence and cockiness. "You miss me?"

"Does that seem like something I would do?" she replied with a roll of the eyes for emphasis.

Castle grinned. "I could imagine it," he said.

"That's all it is, Castle, an all-too vivid imagination."

"Guess I'm not needed much around here then?" he asked dropping his shoulders in defeat. He stood to leave, hoping this would spark Kate to talk a little more, to ask him about his trip, to offer a case she'd been working on.

"Not really," she said bluntly barely looking up from the desk.

"See you tomorrow then…" he droned.

"Whatever," she muttered.

Esposito had said nothing, but watched as Castle stood preparing to leave.

Castle sighed as he headed back out into the streets. He felt like a boy who had gotten all but what he was on his wish list for Christmas. As he made his way back to his car, Lanie appeared on the streets, and approached him, she had a smile on her face.

"At least someone's glad to see me home," he said not bothering to hide his disappointment. Lanie dropped her smile, and lifted her hand to pelt him across the back of the head. It took a moment for the action to register.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" he barked.

Lanie folded her arms across her chest. "Here I was always praising you up, thinkin' you just might be one of the good guys… and here you go provin' me a liar. No man around here is gonna treat my friends with no disrespect."

Castle shook his head. "What are you talking about? I never treated anyone with-"

Her hand reached out and smacked him again.

"OUCH!" he cursed. "Lanie… what the?"

"You don't be lyin' to me," she wagged her finger at him. "And I'll do it again if you try to deny it. For three months that girl was crushed, working harder around here than she ever did. For what? So you can come waltzin' back here all self-assured and drop yourself beside her like nothin' happened. You don't get to come back here and be Mr. Big shot anymore, Richard Castle, successful author," she stated.

Castle was at a loss. He had no idea what had gone down. "Will you at least tell me what I did wrong?"

"Boy, if I have to draw it for you, I don't know you at all."

Castle thought about it. "Maybe you don't. You're accusing me of doing something I didn't do, and I have NO idea what the hell is happening around here. Geez, I felt like I walked into a pod precinct. It was like Antarctica in there. Beckett barely looked at me," he showed Lanie how hurt he was.

Lanie watched him suspiciously for a moment. "You really don't know?"

"I really don't," he assured her.

Her hand rose again, and this time he cringed, ducking. Lanie laughed. "I wasn't gonna smack ya. Geez, Castle, you turned into a pumpkin or somethin'."

"Just all of a sudden cautious," he said. "What's going on?"

Lanie wondered if blabbing her friend's secret was the wisest of choices. Of course if it turned out peachy keen, she'd be the first choice bridesmaid, but if it went sour, so would her friendship with Kate. Lanie decided it was worth the risk, as she remembered the many nights Kate sat alone in the office working on a case, her mind in the Hamptons. "Okay… I'll tell ya." It was like ripping off a band-aid, it had to be done quickly. "Kate has a thing for you!"

Castle laughed. "Yeah, funny… try again?"

"Do I look like someone who jokes around?" she said raising her eyebrows.

"No, but Kate… I know her."

"Do you?"

"She's dating Demming?" he reminded her.

Lanie shook her head.

"She's _not_ dating Demming?" he questioned suspiciously. Could that mean that this was the real deal, was this his chance to go for what he wanted? It seemed too good to be true.

"Nope," she answered. "She dumped his ass when she heard you were going to the Hamptons. But that young hussy showed up and hauled you away like a new prize on a game shelf," Lanie looked disapprovingly at him. She waited for him to announce his next move.

"I went with Gina," he said trying to sort out the pieces in his head.

"Mm-hu," she groaned.

He cursed under his breath and then leaned over and hugged Lanie. "Thanks girl, I owe you one," he turned then and headed straight back inside. He was going to hash this out, whether she was ready or not.

Inside, he saw her packing up her desk, the smile he had seen on her face when he had first walked in, looked like it hadn't been there for weeks. He approached her. "I'm sorry," he declared.

Kate looked up and titled her head, looking slightly annoyed.

"Why are you _still_ here?" she demanded standing rigid.

"I didn't know you changed your mind," he explained. "I didn't know you ended things with Denning or that you had plans to-"

"What are you on about?" she barked. She looked extremely nervous as she shifted on her heels.

Castle smiled. "Lanie told me."

Kate's face fell, and instantly reddened with embarrassment. "Told you what?" she choked.

"That you missed me…" he grinned. "You realized that you can't live without me…"

"Anything else?" she said folding her arms across her chest.

"I missed you too," he said honestly. "I never wanted to go with Gina, I was miserable the whole time. I- I love you, Kate…" he held his breath and waited for the laughter to start.

Instead, he felt her press her lips to his, giving him the answer he had so desperately needed from her. She pulled back only a moment. "Don't move too fast," she whispered. "My gun is always loaded," she teased pulling him back for another one.

_YAY! Okay, how bad was that?_

_PLEASE press that cute lil review button, and let me know… :)_


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